In the seventh episode of the blockbuster HBO series, Prince Daemon marries his own niece, Princess Rhaenyra. The incestuous romance had been building for some time. Before a 10-year time jump occurred in the show's sixth epsode, Daemon took a young Rhaenyra to a brothel in King's Land where the two got intimate.
In Fire & Blood, Daemon does wed Laena next. Despite his plan to take over Runestone now that Rhea is gone, he's sent away and then sets his sights on Laena. Daemon and Laena go on to have two children, Baela and Rhaena, who they later arrange to marry two of Rhaenyra and Laenor's sons.
That's right, during the Oct. 2 episode of House of the Dragon, Rhaenyra (Emma D'Arcy) and Daemon (Matt Smith) stopped fighting their feelings for one another and finally got together. However, this was more than just an illicit liaison, as Rhaenyra and Daemon got married at the end of the episode.
In 120 AC at the age of thirty-nine, Daemon married again, this time to his niece, Rhaenyra Targaryen, the twenty-three-year-old Princess of Dragonstone.
Rhaenyra and Daemon's Marriage
Soon after being widowed, Daemon and Rhaenyra marry each other in secret when he is 39 years old, and she is 23. Their marriage causes a huge scandal at court and another rift between Daemon and Viserys, but it is eventually accepted. The couple has two sons together, Aegon and Viserys.
Turns out, Rhaenyra and Daemon are endgame, meaning they have a sexually tense relationship, eventually hook up, and get married—which is pretty significant from a power play perspective considering (1) they both want the throne and (2) their Targaryen union is almost sure to guarantee that happens—even though Alicent ...
Laena and Daemon marry soon after. Laena and Daemon were a power couple, and their marriage was celebrated by nearly all of Westeros and Essos — except for King Viserys and his court, who considered it another sign of Daemon's disrespect.
While House Of The Dragon episode 4 showed Daemon was able to seduce Rhaenyra by kissing and undressing her, he couldn't fulfill the act due to impotence.
Rhea dies after an apparent riding accident, and Daemon is unwelcome in her home of the Vale afterward. "House of the Dragon" gives more insight into Rhea's death.
It was abundantly clear in the season finale that Daemon truly values Rhaenyra as the queen, and it doesn't appear to be for his own gain. All of his actions indicate that he looks to her as his leader even before she's taken power and has every intention to get her to her rightful throne.
— then Rhaenyra officially loses her virginity to Ser Criston Cole. After Daemon leaves Rhaenyra all horned up and alone, she sneaks back into the castle and lets Ser Criston see her in her page boy disguise.
We know that while the two came close, they never actually did the deed. Daemon, thrown off by his lack of ability to shock Rhaenyra, left her to get drunk and pass out. While Rhaenyra did go on to sleep with Criston Cole — the big problem of the episode — Viserys (Paddy Considine) was made more cautious of Daemon.
With no one left to help her, Aegon II demanded his dragon Sunfyre to kill and then consume his older sister right in front of the eyes of her last remaining child and future king, Aegon The Younger.
Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy) and Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) finally had sex on House of the Dragon. After teasing their deep connection for weeks, making out in a brothel, and flirting their way through King's Landing, uncle and niece at long last did the dirty.
Daemon married Rhaenyra to restore the glory he once held. Daemon was after Rhaenyra from a very long time, he named her 'Realm's delight'.
Aegon III, aka Aegon the Younger: Rhaenyra and Daemon's first child together. Aegon Targaryen, aka Jon Snow: Yes, he comes much later, when a song of ice and fire plays out. But he could be the prince that was promised, though that's still up for debate.
After some initial resistance, the dragon does grant her command and kills her by fire, with Daemon arriving too late to stop his second wife from dying.
However, we've never had a death quite as sad as Laena Velaryon in House of the Dragon, episode 6. Poor Laena died in dragon fire, deliberately asking her personal dragon Vhagar to burn her alive.
Laena wed Daemon a fortnight later. Aware that the king and court would not be pleased with their marriage, Laena and Daemon flew on their dragons to Pentos, where they were hosted by the Prince of the city.
Although Rhaenyra's mother's death initially made her fear the notion of bearing heirs, adult Rhaenyra Targaryen now has five sons in House of the Dragon – three healthy boys with Laenor Velaryon (fathered by Harwin Strong) and two silver-haired boys with her husband Daemon Targaryen.
WARNING: HUGE HOUSE OF THE DRAGON BOOK SPOILERS BELOW
Viewers might be surprised to learn that Rhaenyra does actually follow through with her father's wishes and marries Laenor Velaryon.
Before a 10-year time jump occurred in the show's sixth epsode, Daemon took a young Rhaenyra to a brothel in King's Land where the two got intimate. The two were finally able to wed in episode seven after Rhaenyra's former husband, Laenor Velaryon, faked his own death.
George R.R. Martin's Fire & Blood book reveals that both of Rhaenyra and Daemon's sons will eventually become King of Westeros.